A simple road design has dramatically reduced head-on crashes in Sweden and many other countries. The “Swedish 2+1 with wire rope median” is a kind of safety fence to separate opposing vehicles that incorporates two lanes of traffic in one direction and one lane in the opposite direction; separated by a median safety barrier. The design is credited with reducing fatalities and serious injuries by 50% — and in some cases more — and for providing additional safe overtaking opportunities for motorists, particularly on higher speed roads.
“Since its first development in 2006, the innovation has been seen to achieve a remarkable reduction in severe crashes,” Lina Konstantinopoulou, secretary general for the European Road Assessment Program (EuroRap) said in a statement. Sweden, which introduced the protective infrastructure, has been a world leader in influencing road safety policy and the extensively replicated prototype, Ms. Konstantinopoulou said, “is transforming safety in Spain, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia – saving thousands of lives.”
The lifesaving impact of the “widespread application of a simple solution to a big problem” was recognized in Stockholm in February when Sweden was presented with the Global Innovation Award. It was accepted by Sweden’s Minister for Infrastructure Tomas Eneroth several days in advance of the 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, organized by the Swedish Government and the World Health Organization. Hundreds of government officials and road safety groups and experts gathered from about 140 countries.
The Global Innovation Award is an initiative of the International Road Assessment Program (iRAP) ), a non-profit umbrella group for Road Assessment Programs worldwide, including EuroRAP.
Sweden’s Minister for Infrastructure Tomas Eneroth accepts a Global Innovation Award for a simple … [+]
Assessments conducted by iRAP, which works to make roads safer in more than 100 countries, resulted in recommendations for 2+1 installations in a range of countries, including those with the highest road traffic injury rates that could experience significant reductions in fatalities and injuries, and economic hardship.
In India, for example, implementing the 2+1 installations on 17,500km (almost 11,000 miles) of single carriageway roads, could save about 93,000 fatalities and serious injuries over 20 years. In Mexico, investing in the infrastructure on 40km (about 25 miles) of roads could result in 1,830 fatalities and serious injuries with a benefit to cost ratio of $5 for every $1 spent.
The outcome of large-scale implementation would be robust, as about 93% of the roughly 1.35 million people who die on the world’s roads each year occur in low- and middle-income countries, according to the World Health Organization.
“The 2+1 design is an important countermeasure for road engineers and designers and will be key to helping countries meet the United Nations Global Road Safety Performance Targets,” Ms. Konstantinopoulou said.
For more information about Sweden’s 2+1 Design, click here.
